Nebraskaland

14 Nebraskaland • April 2020 I feel like reading Nebraska's fishing forecasts are like studying algorithms. As an angler, I'm always trying to maximize the use of this information, and I continually evaluate what updates have been added. Here is the main addition in the 2020 version. A newly created line – a squiggly line of sorts – can be seen in spots on the 2020 Nebraska Fishing Forecast. When you see this line, the lake(s) sampled above it on the chart adheres to the numbers located at the top of the chart. Every lake below this squiggly line is measured by the numbers at the bottom of the chart. For example, in the 2020 forecast, Harlan County Reservoir had the highest number of wipers surveyed per gill net at 46.3, as seen by the numbers at the top of the graph. Branched Oak, in a distant second place, surveyed 10, as seen by the numbers at the bottom of the graph. Some other notes to consider: • Pay attention to the scale at the bottom of each chart. In each of these below, the range differs. This becomes especially important if you think that just because your favorite lake is lower on this year's chart than last year's chart, it obviously surveyed less fish. Watch the numbers. • Also make sure you observe the color differences on the graphs, especially when comparing different years. While blue might mean a certain length this year, the same doesn't necessarily apply next year. • When these lakes are surveyed also matters, and survey results can be related to recent rainfall, water turbidity and other environmental factors. I always evaluate Sandhills lakes differently than the rest of the state. While they rarely, if ever, survey high numbers of bass because of their vegetation and clear water, they are some of our state's best largemouth fisheries. • Watch for new lakes. These will usually be at the top of the list of fish surveyed, but most fish will be small. Give them a couple of years, though, as these lakes will soon be your favorites to fish. • Year to year, some lakes are consistent producers. Wehrspann consistently has a lot of crappies, but it also has a lot of smaller fish. In another example, Merritt is a tremendous fishery for multiple species, and a trip to Merritt is always worth your time, regardless of the survey results. Plan on fishing these waters every year and learning them as best as you can. • Finally, anglers should remember these forecasts can be extremely helpful when planning a fishing trip. Just from the 2020 forecast alone, I would take my young son bass fishing at Flanagan way before I would at a lake like Wehrspann, even though I personally like to fish Wehrspann. From the chart, Flanagan surveyed more than 800 largemouth bass per hour. That's how I plan to get a newcomer interested. At the end of the day, you have to try these waters out yourself. To get a jumpstart on your research, visit OutdoorNebraska.org/fishingforecast. By Jeff Kurrus ADDITION TO 2020 FORECAST IN THE FIELD 2018 Forecast state's 2019 Forecast 2020 Forecast

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